The Amazing Spider-Man #40: Roses, All the Way Down

While the start of Gang War was initially a rushed job and remains somewhat soulless, The Amazing Spider-Man #40 injects the much-needed stakes and narrative pacing to keep the core of this event engaging. Although it may not change anyone’s opinion on Wells’ run on the book, for those who have stuck it out this far, they will find a well-paced and action-packed story that finally starts to pay off the key storylines essential for giving the event more weight.

The issue picks up with Tombstone, Peter, and She-Hulk taking down various mob groups as rumors of the Rose’s return swell around the battlefield. With The Beetle’s crew adopting more violent tactics and tensions rising between the main characters, the fires of this war may never be extinguished.

This issue aligns with the stronger aspects of Zeb’s run, allowing sharp dialogue and momentous pacing to guide a surface-level but thematically decided narrative down a road of engaging action and adventure storytelling. Peter’s conversation with Tombstone echoes the book’s opening arc, providing honest discussion about Tombstone’s commitment to burning down his legacy as a New York mobster to prevent his daughter from becoming a monster like he is. The core of this event should have focused more on the emotional relevance to Tombstone and Janice at the start and less on the C-Tier villain gangs. Now that they have, the event is finally starting to feel compelling.

That being said, it still feels like Peter is a side-character in his own book. While I appreciate how Tombstone challenges Spider-Man’s notions of trust and accepting change, there still doesn’t seem to be a reason for him to be here other than plot demands. The event’s villain, Madame Masque, lacks any character or build-up, remaining a caricature of what a big event villain should be without the substance needed to be interesting.

However, the unfolding of events is where readers can sink their teeth in. While the main story of “Gang War” may seem like fluff, its pacing and writing structure are admirable. This issue is a wild ride with just enough personal stakes, thanks to the Tombstone plot line, to be, at the very least, a fun story of bombastic stakes and action. The twist regarding the Rose and how that mirrors much of what’s going on Tombstone John Romita Junior’s pencils flourish in this setting, being tight and kinetic, with even dialogue scenes feeling more inspired than they have in the last 34 issues of this run.